On July 23, the California Department of Corrections (CDC) "apprehended, rehabilitated and discharged" a billboard at Bayshore Boulevard near Sunnydale Avenue in San Francisco. The CDC released the corrected ad one day before a U.S. House of Representatives vote that would have curtailed the agency’s surveillance inside the United States, extensive domestic spying programs first brought to light by whistleblower Edward Snowden on June 7, 2013.

The CDC writes: Following the unauthorized release of information by its former contractor, Edward Snowden, the NSA has faced an unprecedented wave of public scrutiny. On July 24th the U.S. House of Representatives voted on an amendment to a military appropriations bill that would have eliminated funding for the agency’s phone data collection. Narrowly defeated by a margin of 205 to 217, the amendment was attached to a $598 billion defense spending bill for 2014. In addition, news organizations have released daily coverage of Snowden’s leaked documents, and nineteen civilian groups have filed a lawsuit against the NSA, alleging that the massive collection of phone data violates their right of association. In the midst of this public attention, the CDC initiated its billboard campaign to call for additional support for the NSA.